


Stupid Clowns and Their Inability to Communicate Their Feelings

by sushisama



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fluffy, High School AU, Humanstuck, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-16
Updated: 2013-03-16
Packaged: 2017-12-05 11:48:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/722944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushisama/pseuds/sushisama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Karkat Vantas, and you have the dumbest friends.  Especially your stupid clown friend who can't even admit he likes the boy with the mohawk.  As always, it's up to you to fix things in all matters romantic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stupid Clowns and Their Inability to Communicate Their Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt on tumblr thrown my way for a shy!Gamzee having troubles getting together with Tavros.  
> This was also my excuse to work with family dynamics because I wanted to do something different. In this, Karkat is Kankri's son, and has two brothers, Dave and Dirk. Porrim lives with them along with her daughter Kanaya.  
> There was supposed to be two more of these, one from Gamzee's point of view and another from Tavros', but I doubt I'll ever write them.  
> Enjoy! <3

 

Your name is Karkat Vantas and you have the dumbest of friends. Well, really only one dumb one, the rest are just irritating as hell. You're outside the school cafeteria at the outdoor seating area, and everyone in your large group is hanging around the tables, chatting and gossiping. You're sitting in between your overly touchy blind friend Terezi (who is currently hanging off your shoulder) and Sollux, who was trying to explain to you the new computer program he was working on.

Equius and Nepeta were sitting on the ground close to the table, writing back and forth in a notebook that contained all the roleplays they did throughout the day. Kanaya was on a bench nearby nestled between Feferi and Aradia, gossiping about something. In front of them is Eridan, trying his best to get in their conversations, even with Feferi toeing at him to go away.

Across from you is Gamzee, the dumb friend among your annoying ones. What makes him so dumb was the boy sitting next to him, Tavros. Gamzee has been enamored with him for months now, and it shows to anyone paying any amount of attention.

Except, apparently, to the object of his affection.

The two were wrapped up in some conversation, Gamzee going on about his clown shit, even doing a couple of tricks just to get Tavros to laugh. And each time Tavros giggled, he would touch the clown's shoulder or forearm, and all the face paint in the world couldn't hide the blush on Gamzee's face.

It was so sweet, it made you sick.

The first bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Everyone got their things together and started to walk off. Sollux's class was on the other side of campus, so he rushed away, squeezing your hand before he left, and Terezi was being led away to her next class by Nepeta and Equius, the two girls holding hands as they so casually did. The others were already dispersing, except for you, Gamzee, and Tavros. The clown was talking quietly to his friend, a smile on his lips. You lingered, slowly gathering up your trash, watching the two. Tavros hugs Gamzee in parting, an action that makes the tall and lanky fellow stiffen, and his blush reaches his ear.

As Tavros walks away, waving at you both, you make up your mind: it's time to confront Gamzee about his crush.

You quickly dispose of your refuse in the bin before approaching your friend, your bag slung over your shoulder. "Hey, clown face, hold up."

Gamzee turns to you, a lopsided smile on his face. "What's up, best of fucking friends?"

"What the fuck was that about?" you start as you fall into step with him, walking to the class you two share, chemistry.

"What are you up and talking about?"

"You and mohawk boy, you're a fucking... what would Dirk call it? Doki doki in your kokoro, all that senpai shit around him." You don't like using your older brother's lingo, but it seemed most apt right now.

Gamzee rolls his eyes, but you can still see the bit of flush under his make-up. "I have no idea what a mother fucker is on about, he's just my best bro." He ruffles your hair, the tall bastard making you feel even shorter than you were. "After this little mother fucker, of course."

You shove his hand away. "Don't start that shit, Gamzee. You like him, don't you?"

"Of course a mother fucker likes him, he's my--"

"Not that kind of like, ass munch. You know, fuck, like like or whatever."

He doesn't answer at first, doing his best not to look at you. "Who knows? Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

You punch him in the shoulder, a weak action, but one to jar him into cooperating. "Listen, there's nothing wrong with liking the fucker, you two seem fucking tight and everything."

"That what your mother fucking romcoms say?" he retorts with a snort.

"Shut it," you say through a glare. You hate it when people make fun of your enjoyment of romantic comedies, even though later it comes in handy with helping them in situations just like the one you're in now. "Just admit you fucking like him and then do something about it."

"What's a mother fucker supposed to do about liking someone?" He looks at you, almost dejected.

You both got to your class a few minutes before it would start. You took your normal seats in the back, and you were glad it wasn't a lab day. Gamzee had a horrible habit of breaking beakers when he tried to juggle them.

"You would normally tell said person," you said through a shrug. "That's just how things usually go."

"You make it sound easy to tell a mother fucker you like him, brother." He's getting out a notebook, but you know it's just for him to doodle instead of taking notes.

"It is, you open your mouth and say, 'hey, fuck wad, I like that stupid mohawk of yours, we should go out.'"

"Hey, don't be up and saying shit about the mohawk, I like it on that mother fucker."

"Gamzee, you don't know how fucking content I get when you actually prove a point for me."

It took more time to prod Gamzee into flat out admitting his crush than you would have wanted. And by that time, it was a whole afternoon after school where you two were lounging around your bedroom, eating junk food, playing games, and occasionally getting interrupted by your brother. Dave kept banging on the wall that separated your two rooms, yelling at you two (well, more at Gamzee) to shut up while he was trying to work on music.

When he finally came out and agreed he did, in fact, have a hard on for his friend, you went about trying to convince him to tell Tavros his feelings.

"I mean, what's the worse that could fucking happen?"

"The mother fucker could say he doesn't up and feel the same, and shit gets all awkward. Or he says no, and he still tries to be friends, like nothing's different between mother fuckers, and that shit would just... hurt."

He has a good point. Then you think of the way they are when they're together, how Tavros makes constant contact, how he laughs a little too hard at Gamzee's pathetic attempts of humour.

"I think the douche nozzle would surprise you."

He agrees to tell Tavros the next day, after school. That way, if anything goes wrong, it would be a Friday afternoon and he would have a whole weekend to avoid the boy. 

With that decided, he goes home right before Sollux comes over for dinner, a common ritual on Thursdays, where everyone's home. Your dad isn't working late, Dave doesn't have work the next morning, John's able to visit, Kanaya feels up to taking a break from studying and brings Rose, Sollux is free to visit, and Porrim makes a huge meal for everyone. It's a weird tradition, considering Porrim and your father aren't even together and your group seems a hodge podge of siblings and significant others, but you enjoy it in some weird way.

You even feel a twinge of sadness that your other brother Dirk isn't there to join you all. Not that you'd let anyone know, though.

You and Sollux go up to your room shortly after dinner, and he complains about shit with his father, and you tell him about all the problems you have to fix for people, including Gamzee, and at some point you both shut up long enough to make out before Kankri knocks on your door to take Sollux home (which, inevitably, doesn't happen because Porrim lets him stay the night – even if it really isn't her place to give that permission – but she makes the argument that Rose and John are staying, and they start arguing downstairs, that by the time they're done, you're both in your bed and Kankri just gives up on the whole mess).

::*~~*::

The next day goes by at a snails crawl, as most Fridays do. The day started with a confusion about who was going to be driving who, and eventually Rose took you, Kanaya, and Sollux in her Prius, if only because no one could get Dave out of his room (not that any of you four wanted to brave what you might see trying to go in and wake him). When you got to school, Sollux separates from you to get to the computer lab, and Gamzee was waiting for you, looking completely stressed out.

"I don't think I can do this," he tells you when you get to the lobby.

"Calm the fuck down, Gam," you say, patting him on the shoulder. "You have the whole fucking day to think of what to say."

"What if the mother fucker--"

"Don't even start that shit," you interrupt.

He opens his mouth to say something but stops, looking over your shoulder. You turn your head to see Tavros approaching, a small smile on his face. He waves at you both, saying a greeting before standing close to Gamzee. You wave back, returning his greeting halfheartedly.

Gamzee doesn't say anything immediately, the blush showing a bit through his make-up. You swear he makes a strange honking noise, and it sounds like one of those damn clown horns of his.

Tavros looks unsure, even slightly confused. "You, um, feeling all right, Gamz?"

"Uh, yeah, Tavbro." He makes that weird noise again, under his breath. "Why wouldn't a mother fucker be okay?"

He raises an eyebrow before shaking his head. Tavros offers a small smile. "I guess it was, nothing. Say, I was wondering if--"

"No." Gamzee's one word sentence surprised both of you. You're not sure why he said it, but you think he was answering something that was in his head, not to whatever Tavros was about to ask.

Tavros' eyes widen. "What do you mean, I haven't even--"

Gamzee shook his head and turned around, rushing off toward his first class, leaving the two of you watching after him.

"What the fuck is he thinking," you say through clinched teeth.

You can't miss the look of disappointment on Tavros' face. He looks at you, frowning. "Is... is Gamzee mad at me or something?"

"No, ass pile's just being a fucking moron."

"Then why did he just... that?"

You shake your head. "As I said, fucking idiot." You sigh as the first bell goes off. "Just give him a chance to pull his head out of his ass."

Tavros nods. "Yeah, right. Well, see you later, Karkat." He waves as he heads off to class, and you grunt some sort of acknowledgment.

When the first half of the day is over, you go to your usual outdoor area to eat lunch with your friends. Sollux sits next to you as always, going on about no one keeping up with him in his computer class, and you're only half paying attention (it's not like he really listens to you when you go on about your movies). You only give him a look when his hand keeps touching your leg under the table, and he just smirks back.

Gamzee never shows up to the table, leaving Tavros on the bench alone. He's looking down at a book, but anytime he hears footsteps, he looks up, a hopeful smile before he realises it's not his friend.

What in the hell is Gamzee thinking, that Tavros doesn't like him back?

The rest of the day goes by pretty uneventfully. When you see Gamzee in chemistry, you try to get him to talk about where he was at lunch, but he evades the question with his usual goofiness. You ask him if he still plans on talking to Tavros, and he somehow gets out that he will.

When the last bell has rung, you're standing outside with Sollux and Gamzee, chatting about what you'll be doing that weekend. Kanaya comes by at some point, asking if you need a ride home. You decline, as you're going over to Gamzee's with Sollux to hang out for a bit. She tells you to call when you're coming home, and you roll your eyes when you tell her you will. She rushes off where Rose is waiting for her.

Your other friends come and go, stopping for a moment to see what you all are doing, until you're left with the three of you once more.

"Why are we waiting?" Sollux asks after you all have been standing outside for thirty minutes.

Your eyes flick to Gamzee, who has been progressively getting more antsy as the minutes have gone by. "You're still waiting for mohawk-boy, right, Gam?"

He looks up at his name. He rubs the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, I guess, but maybe the mother fucker's already left, and we up and missed him..."

"Theems like he decided to join uth after all," Sollux chimes in. You both look at him, and he just nods to the front of the building where Tavros is walking down the stairs. He sees you three and slows his pace, an unsure look at he lays his eyes on Gamzee.

"Hey, guys," he greets as he stands closer to you than the clown. Gamzee frowns. "Didn't think you all would still be here."

"We were waiting on your slow ass," you tell him.

He raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, the clown ass needed to talk to you about something."

Gamzee glances up at you with an utter look of betrayal. Tavros looks at him. "What'd you need to talk to me about, Gamz?"

His face is like a tomato under his make-up, and he honks softly when he exhales. "Um, it's something... up and private, you know? Mother fuckers can talk somewhere else?"

You can hear Sollux scoff next to you, which earns him your sharp elbow to the stomach. He shuts up with a glare in your direction.

"Sure, Gamz," Tavros says, a smile on his lips, one that Gamzee hesitantly returns. The two walk off together to the abandoned sitting area, and you watch them go.

"You think it'll end well?" Sollux asks you.

You shrug. "As long as he's not a dipshit, it'll go fine." You keep staring at the two, wishing they weren't so far away. You're curious what they're saying, or rather, what Gamzee's not saying, because he's not even looking at Tavros, his feet more interesting and rubbing the back of his head.

You jump when you feel an arm around your waist, and you turn to glare at your boyfriend. He grins at you. "Don't flip you shit, Kar, no one'th around, I promithe."

You stare him down, but it's kind of hard through his two-toned shades. "You've been really fucking affectionate today."

He shrugs, giving you a squeeze. "I think I'm allowed to want to touch up on my boyfriend here and again."

"Not here, ass wipe!" you hiss, trying to get out of his hold. "You can wait until later, when we're not at fucking school."

Sollux glances around, leaning in to give you a kiss on the lips before letting you go. "Fine, I'll wait."

"Damn it, Sol!" you curse, hitting him in the shoulder.

He laughs at you, and you turn away in a huff, hiding your smile. You can't let him think you enjoy being so openly touchy-feely after all.

You both start when you here a loud sound, something like a honk, and Gamzee's rushing back over to both of you, his hand covering his mouth. Tavros is still in the same spot, his eyes wide and questioning. He calls out Gamzee's name, but the clown doesn't turn back.

"Let's go," he urges, walking on by both of you towards his car.

"Gamzee, what the actual fuck wath that?" Sollux asks as you both turn to follow him.

"I couldn't up and do it, I couldn't tell that mother fucker," he rambles on as the three of you get to his vehicle.

You look over your shoulder at Tavros, who has only taken a few steps forward, but stopped when he realised Gamzee wasn't going back. The look on his face was heart-breaking in his confusion.

You're going to have to beat some sense into your friend.

::*~~*::

"That has got to be the dumbest thing you've ever fucking done, Makara," you say through a mouth full of chips.

The three of you arrived at the Makara household after ten minutes of awkward silence. The first thing you all did was get snacks to bring up to Gamzee's spacious room. After getting settled in and putting the television on, you decided it was time to lay into your friend.

Gamzee puts his head in his hands, gripping a bit at his hair. "I fucking know, I know. I was about to tell the mother fucker, I really was, but, I don't even fucking know... I just couldn't up and make the words come out."

"So you're just going to leave things the way they fucking are?"

"I don't know, mother fucker, I just... I don't want to, god, I just want to tell the guy, but it's not that easy, right?"

"Thomehow, I think it would be eathier for you to get with Tav than it wath for me to get with thith guy here," Sollux chimes in, pointing at you.

You shove him roughly, and he falls over for dramatic effect, laughing all the while.

"Ignoring the ass bucket who isn't getting any attention for the rest of the evening," Sollux made a face, "shut it, you brought it on yourself, what are going to do to fix your fuck up?"

Gamzee sighs. "What can a mother fucker do?"

"We're going to the movieth tomorrow, why don't you two come with uth? It could be a double date or thomething."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Sollux smiles at you and reaches for your hand, but you pull away before he touch you. You can't let him off the hook for his earlier comment so easily. "Call him and ask to fucking go with us. And then you can talk to him afterward, tell him what happened."

"And pay for hith thingth, too."

He's looking between you two as you speak, and you know he's considering it. "You think it's a good idea, to ask a mother fucker out like that? I still don't even know how the bro thinks of me, what if it's up and weird for him?"

"Gamzee, stop being a pussy and call him already."

"My old man, he's needing my wheels tomorrow, how would some mother fuckers be getting about?"

"Dave was going to take us, I can make the cock mongler take you two as well."

"Now thtop trying to find wayth out of it and call him!" Sollux interjects. "It'th getting annoying hearing you whine about thomething tho eathily fixed."

Gamzee took a deep breath before getting out his phone. He stared at it for several moments before hitting a number on speed dial and holding it up to his ear. The room was quiet, you and Sollux watching intently as your clown friend started to sweat. He was about to take the phone from his head, but you fixed him with a stare, daring him to hang up. He groans, pinching the bridge of his nose as he holds the mobile tight to his ear. He honks softly before the line picks up.

"...hey, Tav," he finally says when the line is answered. There's a pause, and you can faintly hear Tavros' voice though the words aren't clear. "Yeah, about that... This mother fucker owes you an apology..." Tavros says something, and there's a slight look of panic on his face. "No, no!" He's gesturing with his hands. "I'm not... Look, mother fucker's really sorry about earlier, all right? Let me..." He bites his bottom lip. He smiles a bit as Tavros speaks. Whatever the boy is saying seems to give Gamzee some sort of boost in confidence. "Hey, listen... Tomorrow, these mother fuckers and I are going up and out to see a movie, and I... I was wondering if you, if a mother fucker would like to, you know, join us...?"

There was another pause from both ends, and Gamzee's starting to panic again. "I mean, mother fucker doesn't need to join us if he's busy--" Tavros' interruption is loud, though still intangible. "...that's great, mother fucking miracles." The smile is back on his face. "We'll get you around..." He looks at you and Sollux, and you both hold up three fingers. "Around three okay with my mother fucker?" He's grinning now. "Yeah, I can't wait, either. See you tomorrow, Tavbro."

He hangs up, and turns to you two, the lopsided grin on his face. "Mother fucker sounded _excited_."

You roll your eyes. "Now, you just have to not fucking choke when you ask him out."

"Hey, one step at a time, mother fucker." He takes a swig of Faygo. "We'll see how tomorrow goes, and then if everything's miracles, I'll... think about telling the mother fucker."

"You are thuch a puthy, Gamzee."

He shrugs, chuckling softly. "Yeah, I guess this mother fucker is pretty chicken shit."

The three of you settle in for playing video games and hanging out, occasionally making fun of Gamzee. At some point during the night, you end up letting Sollux touch you again, but not before he makes some pitiful attempt at apologising. Later in the night, when Kurloz comes home, Gamzee tells him the plan for tomorrow, and he takes the three of you to your house. You spend the rest of the night watching movies and eating the snacks Porrim brings you guys, before you and Sollux head upstairs and Gamzee falls asleep on the couch.

The house was crowded the past couple of nights, and there's a part of you that likes it this way.

::*~~*::

The following afternoon the three of you are in the back of your brother's car. Dave was bitching about having to take so many kids at one time, and you were engaging him in arguments when Sollux wasn't trying to get your attention. In the passenger seat was John, an unexpected twist that you weren't prepared for, but figured it would work in your favour. The black-haired man was keeping Gamzee distracted by talking about magic tricks or whatever tricksters and clowns talked about.

It's only when you get to Tavros' house that Gamzee seems to realise the problem with the seating arrangement. As the mohawk boy walks up to the car, Gamzee looks at you, slightly panicked. You shrug.

Tavros opens the door without thought in his excitement, but the look of confusion is instant on his face when he sees there's no room for him.

"Just sit on his lap, fuck wad," you snap when he's taking too long to get in the car.

Gamzee's face is aflame with the suggestion. Tavros seems to consider it a moment, but with a sharp 'c'mon!' from your brother, he gets in, sitting on Gamzee's legs. The clown closes the door, and Dave drives off, making some comment under his breath. John puts his hand on his leg, saying something soothing to him that you miss because you really don't care.

"Thanks for inviting me," Tavros says to all three of you.

You nudge Gamzee in the side, and he mumbles into Tavros' back, "Not a thing, mother fucker. Always love to have you around, fucking miracles."

Tavros smiles and relaxes against Gamzee, settling against him. Gamzee's ears are red, and he keeps his eyes focused out the window.

Sollux leans against you, smirking, one eyebrow over his glasses. "You know, we should try that thometime."

You push him off you. "Fuck you, keep your hands off me, bumblefuck."

Dave gets to the theatre about twenty minutes before the movie starts. He yells at all of you to get out, murmuring about being back after the movie ends. John waves as they drive off, your brother speeding out into the road.

You all get your tickets, Sollux paying for yours and Gamzee paying for Tavros. The brown-haired boy is about to argue, but Gamzee repeats that this is to make up with for his behaviour the day before, and that seems to pacify him enough to let the clown also pay for his popcorn and drink.

You pay for your own snacks, because you will be damned if you're the woman in your relationship.

The four of you sit in the middle of the second to back row, Sollux on your right, Gamzee on your left, and Tavros to his other side. You're all chattering before the lights go down, Sollux complaining how he's so happy to go to a thriller rather than one of your romantic comedies (you threaten to switch seats with Gamzee if he keeps it up, which Tavros gives you the most _pitiful_ of looks for, so you settle for punching him in the side instead). When the lights get dim, you and Sollux quiet down, but your other two friends are still whispering to each other.

The movie starts after the normal round of previews, and you're too engrossed in the opening sequences to really pay attention to anything else (it may not be your favourite type of film, but you liked movies in general, and could get lost in them). You don't notice when Sollux lifts the armrest between you two and slides an arm around your middle, pulling you to rest against him. It's dark in here and it eases you to allow the affection, and you squirm until you're comfortable against his chest while still able to watch the movie.

You chance a look at Gamzee, hoping he was taking this perfect chance to make his move. You may not be watching a romcom on the screen, but it certainly was like seeing one between your friend and the object of his affection. Unfortunately, Gamzee isn't doing anything but whispering to Tavros at different parts of the movie. The boy was leaning in whenever Gamzee spoke to him, turning to speak lowly into the clown's ear, and he was visibly shivering. Every now and again, he honked, his nervousness showing when Tavros was coming too close.

About half-way through the movie, you find the plot too boring, and you and Sollux start making out. You forget about your other friends, what with your boyfriend's tongue down your throat. It isn't until Gamzee's scrambling over the back of his seat and down the aisle that you pull yourself away. You watch the wild mess of hair as it runs in front of the screen and out of the theatre before turning to Tavros.

"What the fuck did you do to him?" you snap, louder than you should have. You get shushed by someone further up, but you ignore them.

You can see the look of confusion on his face from the glow of the screen. "I didn't do anything!" He gets shushed, too, so he continues in a lower voice: "I was just getting, comfortable..." 

You let out a groan of exasperation before standing up. Sollux reluctantly lets you get by, disappointment all over his face. You lean down to whisper 'later' in his ear before making your way to the lobby. When you don't immediately spot Gamzee, you try the bathroom.

Your friend is leaning over one of the sinks he had running, rubbing his hands over his face, smearing his make-up. There's soft honking noises coming out as he breathes heavily. His face was wet from water he had been splashing on himself.

"Gam?" you call, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What the fuck just happened?"

"I just put my mother fucking arm around him, and he moved away, I up and made things awkward..."

You rub your forehead, hoping to wave off the headache that was coming on. "Gamzee, he wasn't moving _away_ , he said he was making himself comfortable."

He looks up at you through the mirror. "R-really?"

"You are just such a fucking moron," you tell him through gritted teeth. "Go back in there and fucking fix it."

He buries his head in his hands again. "I don't know if I fucking can, brother." He straightens up and turns to you. "I can't even get close to the mother fucker without choking up."

"Stop being such a fucking pussy about this, clown ass." You pull out some paper towels from the dispenser and hand them to him to wipe off the water from his face. "He _likes_ you, Gam. You should have seen the look on his fucking face when you left, he was devastated."

"I don't know, mother fucker. It just seems surreal, you know? That a mother fucker could feel the same..."

"Here's a suggestion: _fucking ask him_." Gamzee opens his mouth, but you interrupt him, "And don't tell me it isn't that fucking easy, because _it is_."

Gamzee rubs his face again, smearing more of his make-up. "Fuck, I'll try..."

"I guess that's a fucking step in the right direction. Now, go ahead and fucking clean off the rest of that paint, you look like a schizo with it like that. And when you're done, get back in there, put your arm around him, and watch how he magically responds happily."

He nods hesitantly, turning back to the mirror and starting to wipe off the make-up. "Mother fucker will be back in a few minutes."

"Well, hurry the fuck up, movie's almost over." You give him one last look before leaving the bathroom and returning to the theatre. You sit back down next to Sollux, and he instantly puts an arm around you.

"Everything cool?" he asks lowly in your ear.

You nod. "Yeah, he's just an idiot."

Tavros looks over at you, the concern still on his face. He leans over the seat to ask, "Is Gamzee okay?"

"He'll be back in a minute."

"Oh... okay." He settles back in his seat, still uneasy.

A few moments later, Gamzee slowly makes his way back up the rows, squeezing by you and Sollux to take his seat next to Tavros. The shorter boy puts a hand on Gamzee's, asking if he's all right. The clown visibly stiffens, and you can tell he's doing his best to keep still. He nodded, giving his best smile. Tavros smiles back, and it was much easier to tell his blushing face without the face paint.

The movie ended shortly after Gamzee's return, and the four of you stood up to leave. Sollux held onto your hand as you walked outside, though you tried to pull away. Gamzee walked beside Tavros, hands in his pockets, but bumping shoulders with his shorter friend.

Your brother was waiting outside the theatre, minus John, and you all climbed into the car, Tavros in the front seat and the rest of you sat in the back. Gamzee's trying his best at casual conversation, but you can still tell he's antsy from his stiff posture and the occasional honk. Dave makes comments about clowns that turns into an almost-argument, that's interrupted by Tavros talking to Dave about music.

Tavros was the first one dropped off. As he exited the car, he turned back and tapped on the Gamzee's window. He rolled it down, and the boy leaned forward a bit, whispering something in Gamzee's ear before waving at the everyone else and walking up the sidewalk to his house.

As Dave drives off toward Gamzee's house, both you and Sollux look at him. "What did he say?"

Gamzee was blushing. "Mother fucker just wants me to call him later."

You raise an eyebrow. "Why couldn't he say that in front of us?"

Gamzee shrugged. You had a feeling there was more to it than that, but you decide to drop it for now. Within a few minutes, you get to Gamzee's house, and he leaves with a 'see you later.'

Dave looks at you through the rear view mirror, at least you assume he is by the tilt of his head, it's hard to tell with those shades of his (why is it that everyone you're close to wears tinted glasses?). "Where are we going for him?"

Sollux looks thoughtful for a moment before looking at you. "Want to come to my place for a while?"

You shrug. "Sure, whatever, fuck ass."

"My houthe, Dave."

The blond nods before turning right onto Vine and toward your boyfriend's house.

::*~~*::

Sunday goes by without much incident. You spend time with Kanaya because you haven't really gotten to hang out with her in the past couple of weeks, and even though she wasn't related to you, she's been living with your family for seven years, and you consider her your sister. Even if you won't say it out loud.

You two spend time talking about life, your schoolwork load, your significant others, and the other people's problems that you have to deal with. Kanaya's been trying to help Terezi ask out Nepeta, and you mention Gamzee and Tavros. You both spend some time talking about it, and giving each other tips on what to say to your friends.

At the end of the day, you hear a buzz from your phone and open it up to a text from Gamzee.

<i CoUlDn'T gEt A hOlD oF a MoThEr FuCkEr. :o(>

You quickly type back, <DID YOU ONLY TRY ONCE?>

It was another moment before the response came. <nAh, BrO, i TrIeD a FeW tImEs, EvEn CaLlEd ThE hOuSe. HiS dAd WaSn'T hApPy To HeAr FrOm Me.>

Rufio didn't really like Gamzee, but not enough to keep him from his son. <MAYBE HE'S JUST BEEN BUSY WITH STUDYING OR SOMETHING?>

You're waiting for a reply when your mobile starts ringing. You stare at the ID, an eyebrow raised. You hit the send button, holding the phone to your head as you great, "What's up, Tavros?"

" _Hey, Karkat._ " There's a pause. " _How's your day been...?_ "

You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. You hate it when people are pleasant when you know there's something else they want to talk about. "Filled with flowers and candy. What do you want, Nitram?"

" _Oh, well... I guess, I just wanted to ask... I know this may sound, weird, but I figured you would know if... um..._ "

You make a sound of exasperation. "If I know _what_?"

" _If Gamzee likes me._ "

Your eyes widen a bit. Wow, wasn't he taking the proverbial leap of faith, just asking that? "Wow, just... wow. Coming right out with it. Okay, well, I'm only going to answer because I'm sure you have some huge homo-crush on him, but, yes, he fucking likes you."

There's a silence on the other end. " _So... okay. That... makes me feel a bit better._ "

"What the fuck does that mean?"

" _Just, the way he's been acting. I guess I was just hoping it was because of... you know, that reason, instead of something I was doing._ "

"You both are fucking hopeless, you know that?" You sigh again. "Look, now that you know, go to his house or something and corner him, because that's the only way you're going to get it through to him."

He chuckles lightly. " _He has been a little jumpy, hasn't he?_ "

"That he has been. Now get off the phone with me and go surprise his clown ass with flowers or something. I have homework to get back to."

" _Right... thanks, Karkat._ "

"Yeah, whatever."

" _See you at school tomorrow!_ "

You say something like 'goodbye' before hanging up. You check for messages, and there's two, one from Gamzee and one from Sollux.

<i DoN't KnOw, I jUsT wAnT tO TaLk To ThE mOtHeR fUcKeR.>

You respond to Gamzee before even looking at Sollux, figuring it would be easier to deal with the clown then the inevitable long conversation you'd have with your boyfriend.

<DUDE, CALM THE FUCK DOWN. I HAVE A FEELING EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT. I GOT TO GET ON THIS FUCKING HOMEWORK, THOUGH. WE'LL TALK TOMORROW AT SCHOOL.>

You wait, then, <yEaH, oKaY, i'Ll TaLk To YoU lAtEr, BrO. DoN't StUdY tOo HaRd.>

You open up the message from Sollux, and it's his typical asking what you were up to. You spend the rest of the evening trading between homework and talking with him. When it gets late, you two say your good nights and you get ready for bed. You fall asleep almost instantly at hitting the pillow, feeling rather accomplished for the day.

::*~~*::

The next morning finds you in the lobby talking to Sollux. He isn't running off to the computer lab for once, rather holding your hand. You let him have it, this one time, if only because he seems so keen to be affectionate recently.

When Gamzee gets to school, he practically runs up to you both, a large grin on his painted face.

"Bro, you aren't going to believe a mother fucker about what happened!"

You roll your eyes. "You decided to give up the fucking clown act?"

He snickers. "Of course not, mother fucker." He ruffles your hair, and you swat his hand away. "Tavbro came over last night, these mother fuckers had a feelings jam, he even up and _kissed_ me."

You have no idea why he sounds so surprised by this. Then again, he is an idiot.

"That'th great, Gamzee," Sollux says. "Now you two can go thnog and thtop being tho mopey all the fucking time."

Gamzee laughs. "Yeah, I guess you mother fuckers were right. I shouldn't have been all up and worried about it."

"Of course I was right. When am I _not_ fucking right about these things?" you tell him. You really don't understand why no one listens to you more when it comes to these things: you've proven more than once you know what you're talking about.

"Hey, guys." You three turn to Tavros approaching your group, a large smile on his face. He stands close to Gamzee, taking his hand and the two instantly twine their fingers together. "Morning, Gamz," he says as he reaches up to give the clown a kiss on the cheek, which he bends down a bit to make it easier on the boy.

You feel a smile coming on, one you hide through a fake yawn. You're happy for your friend, you are, but you weren't about to let anyone see a crack in your stoic nature.

But Sollux has to break the mood, as usual. "Tho, doeth thith mean no more of that weird honking?"

"Damn it, Sol."


End file.
